National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior

Chesapeake and Ohio CanalNational Historical Park

C&O Canal Junior Ranger Activity Book

Welcome!Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Junior Ranger ProgramLet’s begin our Junior Ranger exploration of the C&O Canal! Before roads were built, rivers and creeks were used for transportation. George Washington had a vision to use the Potomac River as a navigable waterway for transportation of cargo. Waterfalls, rapids, and a constantly changing current stood in his way. A canal with a consistent water level could take travelers from Washington DC to the Ohio River. The canal was built from 1828-1850. The canal extended 184.5 miles from Georgetown, MD to Cumberland, MD. The canal and canal towns were prosperous for 74 years during the canal’s operation from 1850-1924.

How to Become a Junior RangerToday you will follow the life of a typical canal kid. Your job is to walk the mules on the towpath as your captain steers the boat. Your 5-to-7- day trip begins in Cumberland and ends in Georgetown. Explore the towpath by walking or biking as you complete the following activities to becoming a Junior Ranger. Junior Ranger activities can be done anywhere along the canal. Return your completed book to any park visitor center to become a Junior Ranger.

Number of activities to receive your badge:

Ages 6 and under................................ 3 Activities Ages 7-9.............................................. 5 Activities Ages 10 and up.................................... 7 Activities

Checklist to document your progress: 1. Getting to Know Your Route 2. Cozy in Your Quarters 3. Canal Song 4. Towpath Partner 5. Locking Through 6. Draw an Aqueduct 7. Wildlife Bingo 8. The Arrowhead 9. Interview an Employee

10. Safety and Trash Seek 11. Participate in a Ranger-led program. Have the Ranger initial here. _________________

Parents are encouraged to get involved and help the kids on their Junior Ranger exploration!

Cumberland

Georgetown

10

20

30

40

50

60

7080

120100

110

130

140150

170

90

160

180

Let’s begin!

You are headed to Georgetown with a few stops along the way. First figure out how many miles a day you will be traveling.

1) In order to travel 184.5 miles in 7 days, how many miles a day do you have to walk? (184.5 ÷ 7 =)________

2) Typically you will walk 3 miles an hour. How many hours a day will you walk ? (total miles per day ÷ 3 miles an hour =) ________

3) Now that you’ve figured out how many miles a day you will walk, plan your stops along the canal. The numbers on the map are mile markers. Starting at Cumberland head downstream and put a circle at the places you will stay overnight. You should have 6 stops.

2

Day 1: Your journey starts in Cumberland, MD. Here your boat is loaded with coal for the trip to Georgetown. Your job is to drive the mules the 184.5 miles down the canal. The captain will make sure you have plenty of food and hay for the mules. A typical trip toGeorgetown takes five to seven days. Don’t forget your straw hat and drink plenty of water.

Use a park map to locate these places. Write them down on your map: Williamsport, Brunswick, Hancock, Old Town, Taylors Landing, Rileys Lock.

Are they near where you will stay? ___________________

Place a star at your current location.

Getting to Know Your Route

Cumberland Williamsport Georgetown

Cozy in Your Quarters

Day 2: Today you will pass through the Paw Paw Tunnel. The tunnel cuts through the mountain, shortening the canal by six miles. The tunnel is only wide enough for one boat to fit through at a time. Make sure your lantern is lit and placed at the front of the boat before entering the tunnel.

Your boat is your home on the canal. It is 90 feet long and 14 ½ feet wide. That’s 3 school buses long!Label the boat below to get familiar with your new home.

• Mule Shed- Housed the mules when they were off duty or sleeping.• Family Cabin- Where the family cooked, cleaned, and slept.• Cargo Hold- Underneath the boat housing the goods or cargo.• Hay House- Food for mules were kept here. Sometimes hired workers would sleep in the hay house.

At Cumberland you can tour a boat replica. At Georgetown and Great Falls you can go on a boat pulled by a mule. If you have a chance to participate in one of these, answer the following questions:

How long did it take you to lock through? ______________________________

How were small children kept from falling off canal boats?

_________________________________________________________________

Could you and your family have lived on a canal boat? Explain why or why not.

_________________________________________________________________

3n Cumberland Williamsport Georgetow

Towpath PartnerCanal boats had different engines than boats today. Connect the dots to see what your engine looks like.

4

It takes 10 minutes to go through a lock. How long will you be at Four Locks?_________________

Canal SongDay 3: This morning you arrive at the community of Four Locks, named for the four locks situated next to each other. A lock moves your boat either up or down to account for elevation change along the canal. It will take a while for your boat to move through all the locks giving you a chance to rest. While you wait for your boat to lock through, you may want to sing a song for fun. To pass time mule drivers would sing songs as they traveled on the canal.

Below write your own song to sing along the towpath. Walk along the canal to find things to sing about.

A mules parents are a male ____________ anda female ____________.

At Great Falls and Georgetown you can meet a mule. If you have a chance to visit a mule, write down two things you learned. ___________________________________________

___________________________________________

Cumberland Williamsport Georgetown

D

Walk or bike to the nearest lock.

Which lock did you see on the canal?_______

Locking Through

Day 4: You are traveling through Williamsport today. You pass by the Cushwa Basin on your way to Lock 44. The Cushwa Basin was an essential stop along the canal. Much of the coal from Cumberland was unloaded here to two Williamsport coal dealers.

Open gates and exit lock.

Enter the lock by opening front gates.

Close front gates. Secure boat in lock.

5

Open wickets. Water level is lowered.

Cumberland Williamsport Georgetown

As you approach Lock 44 the lock keeper, Harvey Brant, needs your help to lock the boat through. Harvey will operate the right gate and you will operate the left gate.

Number the pictures in the correct order to get your boat through the lock.

Draw an aqueduct across the river bed so you can continue down the towpath. You are almost at Georgetown!

Draw an Aqueduct Day 5: Today you will cross the Monocacy Aqueduct. Aqueducts are arched bridges that carry the canal across rivers and creeks. These are bridges for boats. Aqueducts have between one and seven arches which support the bridge.

Walk or bike to the nearest aqueduct. What is its name? ___________________What creek or river did it cross? ________________________What is the strongest part of an aqueduct and why? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cumberland Williamsport Georgetown6

Wildlife Bingo. Day 6: Today you will arrive in Georgetown. Upon arriving in Georgetown the boat is unloaded and you will start your trip back. The canal at Georgetown is a sliver of preserved land providing homes to many different plants and animals. It is a good place to look for animals and birds. Wildlife can be spotted all along the canal.

Take a walk on the canal and look for wildlife. When you see something, mark it off on the bingo card. See if you can get four in a row.

7

What sounds do you hear today that are similar? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What sounds do you hear today that they would not have heard? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wild Strawberry

Fish

Snake

Blue Jay

Sycamore Tree

DeerGreat Blue Heron

Squirrel

Wildflowers

Poison Ivy Turkey Vulture

Honeysuckle

Turtle

Cardinal

Bald EagleButterfly

Cumberland Williamsport Georgetown

Sit down and listen to the sounds around you. Write down three things you hear. ________________________________________________________________________

What sounds do you think canal children would have heard when the canal was in operation? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Interview a National Park Service EmployeeNow that you are becoming a Junior Ranger, you may want to find out what Park staff do. There are many different jobs in National Parks. Find a Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park employee or volunteer and ask for an interview. You get to fill out the last question about yourself.

Employee’s Name_____________________________________________

Employee’s Job Title___________________________________________ How long have you worked for the National Park Service?_________________________________________

What do you like best about your job?_________________________________________________________

What is your favorite place on the towpath?____________________________________________________

Here is a question about you, our newest Junior Ranger:

Why do you want to become a Junior Ranger?__________________________________________________

Represents all animals

Represents history

Represents land formations

Represents all waters

Represents all plants

8

The ArrowheadThe Arrowhead is the emblem of the National Park Service. It is found at park visitor centers and entrance stations. Rangers also wear it on their uniforms. The Arrowhead is made up of symbols. These symbols represent each of the things that the Park Service protects.

Look at the design of the emblem and draw lines to the pictures that represent various aspects of the Arrowhead

National Park Service Motto:“The National Park Service cares for the special places

saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.”

Do you know how long it takes your trash to decompose?

Plastic bag ..................10-20 yearsPlastic water bottle....30-40 years Aluminum can.............90-100 yearsStyrofoam................over 100 years

9

Safety and Trash Seek

The C&O Canal today is used for recreational purposes as well as providing a window to the past. Walk along the canal and find people hiking, biking, walking dogs, and camping. See if you can spot safe and unsafe activities. Take a trash bag with you and pick up any trash you find. It is your responsibility on the towpath to be safe and leave no trace. The C&O Canal is a trash free park. Remember to leave with everything you bring in.

Circle all unsafe activities and trash in the picture.

List 3 other ways to keep the park clean: _________________, _________________, __________________

List 3 ways to practice safety in the park _________________, _________________, __________________

Leave No Trace!Trash Free Park!

Take only pictures

Leave only footprints

R

educe, Reuse, Recycle!

Che

sape

ake a

nd O

hio C

anal

Nat

ional

Hist

orica

l Par

k Ju

nior R

ange

r Cer

tifica

te

Junio

r Ran

ger P

ledge

As

a Ju

nior

Ran

ger,

I pro

mis

e to

pr

otec

t the

pla

nts,

ani

mal

s an

d hi

stor

ic o

bjec

ts in

our

Nat

iona

l Par

ks.

I will

con

tinue

to e

xplo

re, p

rote

ct,

and

lear

n ab

out o

ur N

atio

nal P

arks

an

d hi

stor

ic p

lace

s an

d sh

are

wha

t I

have

lear

ned

with

oth

ers.

This

is to

cer

tify

that

___

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

__ is

a

Ches

apea

ke a

nd O

hio

Cana

l Nat

iona

l His

toric

al P

ark

Juni

or R

ange

r and

will

hel

p th

e

Nat

iona

l Par

k Se

rvic

e pr

otec

t our

nat

ion’

s na

tura

l and

cul

tura

l her

itage

.

Park

Ran

ger S

igna

ture

Jun

ior R

ange

r Sig

natu

re

D

ate

If you are unable to take your completed activity book to a visitor center you can mail it to:

C&O Canal National Historical Park 1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100 Hagerstown, MD 21740 After receiving your book, it will be returned to you along with your Junior Ranger badge.

Continue your Junior Ranger exploration online. There are over 50 activities for you to complete while exploring National Parks from your living room.

Visit: www.nps.gov/webrangers

Special Thanks to:

Sara Davis, Student Conservation Association InternDeborah Britt, Hagerstown Community College Intern

C&O Canal NHP Interpretation Staff

Explore, Learn, and Protect.This booklet was printed on recycled paper.

R

educe, Reuse, Recycle!